As you may have read in our original review of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the sequel to Ninja Theory’s acclaimed 2017 psychological action-adventure doubles down on atmosphere and sensory immersion. It’s an unforgettable, technologically dazzling experience that straddles the line between a game and an interactive movie, but it’s also one that makes it easy to forget that it’s a game at all.
The sequel has been released on Xbox and PC, but now it’s the PlayStation 5’s turn to dive into the world of Hellblade II and really show off what the PS5 Pro can do with technically impressive games on its hardware.
journey of the heart
Picking up where Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice left off, this sequel follows Senua’s battle with mental illness as she travels to Iceland to free her people from Viking slavers. After surviving a shipwreck, she captures one of the Vikings and forces him to lead her to the chieftain, uncovering stories of giants, spirits, and invisible “hidden peoples” along the way.
Credit: Xbox Game Studios
Approximately six hours long, Hellblade II is generally focused and often relentlessly mired in doubt and paranoia. The boundaries between reality and illusion are constantly shifting, reflected in the environment, companions disappearing, and the voices in Senua’s head never stop chattering.
If you’re using headphones, especially the Pulse or InZone PS5 3D Audio headsets, your experience will truly improve. It’s still very unsettling, but expertly executed.
incredible beauty
Visually, Hellblade II is absolutely stunning. Iceland’s rugged landscape is almost photo-accurate. There really is nothing like it. The cliffs are shrouded in mist, rivers of molten lava flow, and flickering torches illuminate the dark caverns. The cinematography of the film appears to have been done by Roger Deakins, and the extensive camera pans and motion-capture performances are on par with the movies. Actor Melina Jurgens once again delivers an incredible portrayal of Senua, rooting the character’s suffering through empathy and defiance.
This new PS5 edition builds on the already impressive Xbox and PC releases, with a 60fps performance mode and responsive haptic feedback. Every heartbeat, whisper, and scream echoes through the DualSense controller. It’s great to see developers outside of PlayStation Studio taking full advantage of DualSense’s capabilities.
Gameplay that doesn’t match the vision
Unfortunately, despite its visual and audio perfection, Hellblade II stumbles in the most important part of gameplay. In between cinematic cutscenes, there are long walks, simplistic puzzles, and repetitive sword fights. Pace often feels at odds with emotional intensity. Gameplay is more connective tissue than meaningful challenge.
Credit: Xbox Game Studios
The “symbol puzzles” from the first game return, tasking you with arranging objects to fit the shapes of runes. Unfortunately, these are overused and feel overused after a few hours. A new mechanic here is the Orb of Light Puzzle, which asks you to slightly change the environment to reveal a path forward. Both are so trivial that they hardly qualify as puzzles.
The combat is also frustratingly shallow. Senua can perform light and heavy attacks, block, dodge, and use mirror abilities to slow time and perform quick kills. Each battle is staged with cinematic flair, but the mechanics never evolve. All encounters, including the final boss, play out in the same one-on-one structure, and what should be an intense duel feels monotonous by the middle.
More of a cinematic experience than anything else
To be completely fair, Hellblade II never hides what it wants. First, it’s a narrative experience, and second, it’s an interactive experience. Judged by that standard, this is a truly remarkable achievement. Unreliable perspective, sensory overload, and psychological weight all contribute to a bold and unique work.
Credit: Xbox Game Studios
But it’s also limiting. Despite the beauty of the world building and environments, there is little room for exploration and discovery. You admire the view. It looks and feels like it’s alive, but you can’t actually interact with it. The result is an uneven experience that’s fascinating as a work of art but frustrating as a video game. Ninja Theory’s craftsmanship is undeniable, but so is the sense that Hellblade II is more suited for movie theaters than high-end consoles.
New additions and modes
This release of PS5 has some additional features. In addition to frame rate improvements, we’ve also added ‘Dark Rot’ mode, a brutal and unforgiving difficulty option that brings the series’ infamous eternal threat to life. If you die four times, your save file will be deleted. This is a clever reflection of the first game’s psychological manipulation, but most players are likely to get away with it on the first try.
Developer comments are also available after completing the main story, providing insight into the technical and narrative techniques that went into the project. As a fan of games and movies, this is the part of the game I enjoyed the most.
final thoughts
Senua’s Saga: It’s as good as Hellblade II, but some people may find it controversial. The game is a visual delight while also taking full advantage of audio and the DualSense controller. It’s an essential experience for gamers who want to see the best of the PS5 in terms of what video games as an emotional and cinematic art form can be, but it’s a bit of a challenge for players looking for engaging gameplay.
Still, Ninja Theory’s mastery of atmosphere, sound, and performance remains unparalleled. As the discussion around “games as art” grows, Hellblade II strives for inclusivity. As it stands, it’s one of the best-looking and best-running games of this generation of consoles.
4 1/2 stars (out of 5 stars)
Highlight: A visual feast. perfect performance. great atmosphere
Highlights: Small, short stories that may be difficult to justify the price
Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: Currently
Review was conducted on a PlayStation 5 Pro using a code provided by the publisher.
A featured header image is also provided by the publisher.
